Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Year: The Rules

01 February 2015 - 02:00 By Travel Weekly
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Adult male lion on waving grass plain, Masai Mara
Adult male lion on waving grass plain, Masai Mara
Image: Andrew Beck / Wild Eye

Everything you need to know about dominating the 2015 WILDLIFE CATEGORY

• It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that they have read and abided by the terms and conditions set out below.

DEADLINES – SUNDAY TIMES WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR:

• Competition entries for the Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Year, first runner-up and second runner-up open on February 1 2015 and close on November  27 2015. The year’s overall winners will be announced in December.

DEADLINES / ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUNDAY TIMES WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH:

• In 2015, only entrants announced as a Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Month will be considered for the year’s overall prizes. To be considered for the Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Month, entrants must enter a maximum of 10 photographs a month between the following dates in 2015: 

• February 1 and February 28                

All entries for March’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in February. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of March.

• March 1 and March 31                        

All entries for April’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in March. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of April.

• April 1 and April 30                             

All entries for May’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in April. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of May.

• May 1 and May 31                              

All entries for June’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in May. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of June.

• June 1 and June 30                            

All entries for July’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in June. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of July.

• July 1 and July 31                              

All entries for August’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in July. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of August.

• August 1 and August 31                    

 All entries for September’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in August. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of September.

• September 1 and September 30          

All entries for October’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in September. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of October.

• October 1 and October 31                 

 All entries for November’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in October. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly at the end of November.

• November 1 and *November 27           

All entries for December’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer must be received in November. The winner will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly in December.

* Take note – entries for December’s Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Month close on November 27, and not on the last day of the month as per the other monthly competitions.

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• The year’s overall winner and two runners-up will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly, as well as on online platforms such as www.timeslive.co.za/travel and our Facebook page in December.

• Each Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Month will be announced in Sunday Times Travel Weekly, as well as on online platforms such as www.timeslive.co.za/travel and our Facebook page.

OVERALL ENTRY CRITERIA:

• All photographs must be e-mailed to wildphoto@sundaytimes.co.za and within competition deadlines to be considered. No late entries will be accepted.

• Each entrant may enter a maximum of 10 photographs a month.

• Only one photograph per e-mail will be accepted. Photographs may thus not be entered in batches of more than one photograph per e-mail. 

• No responsibility will be accepted for lost or delayed entries.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

• Each photograph will be judged across four categories: technical proficiency; artistic value; composition; and ‘wow’ factor.

• Only photographs taken in or after February 2013 are eligible.

SUBJECT MATTER:

• Photos of any free-roaming wildlife, urban or rural, may be entered. The subject matter can include any wild, fresh water, marine or land animals, as well as insects and birds, and may have been taken anywhere in the world. Photos of captive wildlife will only be considered where they skilfully highlight conservation threats. Photos of domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, and livestock are not eligible.

FORMAT OF ENTERED PHOTOGRAPHS:

• Colour as well as black and white photographs will be accepted. Each photograph must be submitted as a high-resolution (at least 240dpi) JPEG and not exceed 3MB in size.

• Take note: only one photograph per e-mail will be accepted. Photographs may thus not be entered in batches of more than one photograph per e-mail. 

• Each photograph must be entered as an attachment to the e-mail, and may not be attached inline. 

• Each photograph must be entered in JPEG format ONLY.

• Photographs must be submitted in a format that is strictly ready for publication. Photographs with borders, watermarks and signatures, and photographs submitted as thumbnails, will not be considered. Caption information may not be written or embedded on the photograph.

PHOTOGRAPHER AND CAPTION INFORMATION:

• Each entry must include the following to be considered:

• Detailed caption information. All caption information must be submitted in the body of the e-mail and not in or on the photograph itself.

• Each caption must include the full name of the photographer, a cellphone number, an alternative number such as a work telephone number or telephone contact for a next of kin, and the photographer’s full South African residential address. South African citizens who do not reside in South Africa may provide their current residential address in instances where this address does not fall within South African borders.

• Each caption must include a title for the photograph, the exact location of the photograph (including place name, province/region and country), brief scene description, the date the photograph was taken (including month and year), the photograph's exposure settings, and camera and lens used. Each caption must also include the scientific name and common name of the main species in the photograph.

EDITING & AUTHENTICITY:

• While moderate editing will be allowed, each entry must be authentic, must be the photographer’s original work and must not infringe the rights of any other party.

 • While moderate editing will be allowed, each entry must be authentic, must be the photographer’s original work and must not infringe the rights of any other party.

• Each entry must accurately reflect the subject matter as it appeared in the viewfinder when the image was captured. Each entry should not be digitally enhanced beyond the basics required to achieve realistic colour balance, sharpness and contrast.

• The goal of this competition is to promote and award realistic, natural-looking images. Extreme saturation and sharpening and digital filters that create arty or cartoonish results will not be considered.

• Contrast – Selective dodging (brightening) and burning (darkening) may adjust the tonal range of an image as long as it closely resembles the original scene or subject.

• Cropping – Cropping is acceptable, but not to the extent that this degrades the quality of the image and makes it unacceptable for printing purposes.

• HDR images – “High dynamic range” images are eligible, however all exposure and post-processing details must be submitted along with the HDR entry.

• Panoramas – Panoramas or stitched images will not be considered.

• The Sunday Times reserves the right to validate the authenticity of any entered photograph. If a photograph is selected for publication, the Sunday Times may ask the entrant to supply the original, RAW file for inspection. Any entrant found to be in breach of these terms will be disqualified.

COPYRIGHT, USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS & COMPETITION MANAGEMENT:

• The copyright of all entered photographs will remain with the copyright holder. Each entrant grants the Sunday Times and the Times Media Group a non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to reproduce, publish and communicate their entered photographs to the public by any means in connection to the competition and exhibit entered photographs and copies thereof in all media throughout the world.

• The Sunday Times and the Times Media Group reserve the right to publish any photographs and any names of competition entrants in Travel Weekly, Travel Weekly’s social media pages, Times Live and in all other online and traditional platforms associated with the Sunday Times Wildlife Photograph of the Year. No remuneration will be offered.

• The Sunday Times and the Times Media Group reserve the right to publish any entered photographs at public exhibitions. No remuneration will be offered.

• The Sunday Times and the Times Media Group reserve the right to change the competition rules and deadlines at any time and without prior notice.

PRIZES FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR:

• In 2014, the Sunday Times and Wild Eye Destinations & Photography are giving away R255 000 in cash and photo safaris to the winners in the WILDLIFE category:

 

First prize:

• The Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Year will win a seven-day luxury safari for two people worth approximately R120 000 to photograph the wildlife of Kenya’s Masai Mara during migration season. The prize is an all-expenses-paid package courtesy of Wild Eye Destinations & Photography and includes accommodation at the Wild Eye Mara Camp; all meals as well as non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks; unlimited game drives in custom-built, photographic-friendly 4x4 vehicles; guidance from photographic experts; internal flights in Kenya and international return flights to Kenya from Johannesburg. The safari will take place on one of the scheduled departures between July and October 2016. The winner and partner must travel to Johannesburg at their own expense in time for the departure date. The winner and partner must supply their own camera equipment. The prize excludes travel insurance, gratuities and items of a personal nature.

First runner-up:

• The first runner-up will win a seven-day luxury safari for one person worth approximately R60 000 to photograph the wildlife of Kenya’s Masai Mara during migration season. The prize is an all-expenses-paid package courtesy of Wild Eye Safaris and includes accommodation at the Wild Eye Mara Camp; all meals as well as non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks; travel in custom-built, photographic-friendly 4x4 vehicles; guidance from photographic experts; internal flights in Kenya and international return flights to Kenya from Johannesburg. The safari will take place on one of the scheduled departures between July and October 2016. The winner must travel to Johannesburg at their own expense in time for the departure date. The winner must supply their own camera equipment. The prize excludes travel insurance, gratuities and items of a personal nature.

Second runner-up:

• The second runner-up will win a four-day wildlife photography workshop in Madikwe Game Reserve, Northwest Province. The prize is an all-expenses-paid package worth R22 950 courtesy of Wild Eye Safaris and The Bush House and consists of three nights and four days’ accommodation at The Bush House and includes access to a unique underground hide; all meals and return transfers from Johannesburg. The safari will take place on one of the scheduled departures in 2016. The winner must travel to Johannesburg at their own expense in time for the departure date. The winner must supply their own camera equipment. The prize excludes travel insurance, gratuities and items of a personal nature.

Visit www.wild-eye.co.za for more details on Wild Eye’s latest products.

 

Monthly winners:

• Each Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Month will win R5 000, courtesy of the Sunday Times and the Times Media Group.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ENTER & WIN THE OVERALL PRIZES?

• Eligibility for the grand prizes at the end of the year is limited to the competition’s monthly winners.

• Entrants who won prizes in previous years’ Sunday Times Wildlife Photograph of the Year competitions are eligible to enter the 2015 competition. However: 

• An image that featured as a winner, runner-up or highly commended entry in previous years of the Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Year is not eligible for re-entry. 

• An image that has been selected as a winner or runner-up in a national or international competition is not eligible for entry into the Sunday Times Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

• Photographs by amateur as well as professional photographers are welcome.

• The competition is open to South African residents and citizens. Wild Eye Destinations & Photography and the Times Media Group’s employees as well as their immediate families may not enter. Prizes must be taken (or rejected) as awarded, cannot be transferred or deferred and may not be converted to cash. The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

 

Follow our official competition page on Facebook for all the latest buzz on the Sunday Times Wildlife / Travel Photographer of the Year.

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